People of Light, People of Darkness: The Last Apostle | 1 John 5:1-12Sýnishorn

Jesus came by water and blood. Not just water, but water and blood. Together with the Spirit, these testify. All three are in agreement (1 John 5:6-7). If you have no idea what John is talking about, you’re not alone. People have struggled to make sense of these words for centuries. Some looked for Trinitarian ideas (some copies of the Bible even made it explicit in the margins). But why is the Father “water”? It seems odd.

Here’s what seems to be going on. From the beginning John’s been encouraging Christians not to be led astray by the people who claimed to be full of the Spirit, left the church, and abandoned the core teachings about Jesus. They thought they were hopped up on the “spirit,” but really they were hopped up on their own distorted ideas of God and the spiritual life instead. Keep in mind that for them, the “spirit” was everything.

Jesus’s ministry is framed by water and blood. It started with his baptism where the Spirit descended on him. It culminated in blood with his body nailed to a cross. John is saying there is no spiritual life without the death of Jesus. When it comes to a relationship with God, you can’t have water without the blood. And the Spirit of God is in agreement with that! Some people may say differently, but John asks who you’re going to listen to: human testimony or what God himself has to say about the matter (1 John 5:9-10).